Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell two per cent on Wednesday, retreating from a two-week high set in early moves, as concerns eased about cold-weather damage following a frigid weekend in the U.S. Plains, analysts said. Corn futures firmed slightly, consolidating below multi-year highs established last week, and soybean futures closed mixed. A […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat retreats after cold-weather rally
Corn, soy futures consolidate
Canola stocks to tighten below a million tonnes, AAFC says
MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks in both the current 2020-21 marketing year and in 2021-22 are forecast to tighten below a million tonnes, according to updated supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The tight stocks were largely tied to expectations for increased domestic usage, with projected canola exports left unchanged from the January […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Weather wreaks havoc on crops
MarketsFarm — Unusual weather, both in North and South America, has significantly affected commodities this week at the Chicago Board of Trade, according to a broker. A brutal cold snap, extending from northern Canada to the U.S.-Mexico border, has slowed down soybean crushing, halted production at ethanol refineries and raised energy prices in the U.S., […] Read more
Some U.S. ethanol producers cut production to sell natural gas for profit
New York | Reuters — Sky-high U.S. natural gas prices have prompted some Midwestern ethanol producers to reduce processing in the last week, hoping instead to sell off some of their natural gas to take advantage of current high spot prices caused by the spike in cold weather, industry sources said. Ethanol margins in the […] Read more
Diesel prices, carbon tax cause headaches for farmers
MarketsFarm — Crude oil prices have been steadily on the rise since last November as oil-producing nations implement production cuts and Canadian farmers already affected by climbing diesel prices will have to dig deeper into their wallets this April. On April 1, the federal government’s carbon levy on diesel will go up from 8.05 cents […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: World Pulses Day celebrated
MarketsFarm — The United Nations celebrated the annual World Pulses Day on Feb. 10, highlighting the contribution of pulse crops to world agriculture and nutrition. “Pulses are more than just nutritious seeds – they also contribute to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development,” the UN said in a release. “They play […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures mostly firm on wintry Plains weather
April hogs stay within Friday's range
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed mostly higher on Tuesday as frigid conditions gripped the U.S. Plains and Midwest, limiting the movement of animals into meat plants and threatening to reduce cattle weights, traders said. However, rallies were limited as wintry weather and power outages prompted meat-packing plants to slow the slaughter […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat climbs to one-week high on frigid U.S. weather
Corn, soy futures follow firm trend
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed to a one-week high on Tuesday, rising more than three per cent on fears that frigid temperatures in the bread basket of the U.S. Plains may have damaged winter wheat, analysts said. Corn and soybean futures followed the firm trend, with a strong U.S. soy-crushing pace and […] Read more
Olymel to close Red Deer hog plant against COVID-19
Hog deliveries suspended 'until further notice'
Meat packer Olymel plans to temporarily close its hog slaughter and pork processing plant at Red Deer, Alta., winding down that facility’s operations starting this week against a rapidly spreading COVID-19 outbreak among workers. The plant, one of Canada’s largest by slaughter capacity at over 45,000 hogs per week, has notified its hog suppliers and […] Read more
Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala makes history as new head of WTO
Geneva-based body leaderless for six months; Trump paralyzed some of WTO's functions
Geneva/Washington | Reuters — Three months after the Trump administration rejected her, former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received unanimous backing on Monday to become the first woman and first African director-general of the World Trade Organization. A self-declared “doer” with a track record of taking on seemingly intractable problems, Okonjo-Iweala will have her work […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
